Lubricator.



E. W. JOHNSTON. LUB RICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1913.

1,150,371 Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

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The lower end of the intermediate chamber (Z is connectedthrough a valve with a pipe p leading'to a condenser chamber g situated at a suitable distance above the level of the other parts ofthe apparatus. This condenser chamber is also in communication with the steam pipe 1".

In using the apparatus the intermediate chamber is filled with water by way of the condenser and valve 0 is then closed. Valve 02 being opened chamber 0 is now filled with parafiin or like oil and the sight tube also becomes filled. Drain valve 3 is now opened and the fluid in c is automatically passed into (Z displacing the water which drains off by way of the valve or cock 8. Valve 8 is now closed, and the chamber 0 being now empty is filled with the desired lubricant and sealed.

In the normal operation the whole system is under pressure, and the additional pressure due to the head of water in the condenser chamber g causes the lubricant to flow, regulated by the valve 00, through the nozzle'i and drop bygravitythrough the paraffin in the sight tube It and thence pass out of sight tube at the lower end mounting and filling the tube n. The lubricant fso passing out of the lubricant chamber 0 is replacedby paraflin flowing in from the intermediate chamber cZ through the inverted U tube 6 and the flow from the latter chamber is in turn replaced by water of condens ation from the condenser chamber. It will be understood that when the valve 00 is I opened a small amount, as it is under workwill be seen passing through the same as.

clear water. The volumes of chambers '0 and (Z are not necessarily equal and 1n fact the intermediate chamber is preferablylarger than the lubricant chamber. It may here be mentioned that an aqueous mixture of deflocculated graphite is practically black, a feature which renders its use particularly advantageous with sight feed lubricators as it can be very clearly seen even in a comparatively dim light; 7

When the clear water is seen in the sight feed tube the lubricant chamber is refilled and to do this the operation is as follows r The condenser valve 0 and the nozzle valve w to thesight tube are closed and then the drain cock 8 and the lubricantfilling plug f are opened. The, condensed water then siphons outofthe intermediate chamber cZ through the drain cock sand dip pipe 16 and the oil (together with any condensed water) is siphoned out of the lubricant chamber 0 into the intermediate chamber. Although the cocks is shown for convenience in the plane of the section it Wlll be understood that it will'be arrangedto one side of the pipe p. The arrangement of the pipe t and cock 8 will prevent any loss of oil as the siphoningactionwill stop as soon as, or before, the oil level has reached that of the cock 8, that is to say as soon as the oil has been returned to the chamber Z.

An alternative mode of preventing the oil from following, the condensed water out of the-chamber cZ 18 to arrange a float valve/u as seen in Fig. 3. .Such a'valve is adaptedtoclose the passage leading from the bottom of the chamber (Z and is arranged so thatit will float on water but sink in oil and consequently will fallwith, the water and close the passage when required- In this formthe drain cock 8 will'be arranged below the'float valve as shown.

Referring again to the apparatus shown to the pressure of air cushioning I provide any convenient means for insuring complete escape of the air when filling the device.

For example a vent plug 12 communicating with the valve box .9 and sight tube h as shown in Fig. 2 may be used. When filling the device the plug is partlyscrewed in and finally tightened when oil begins to issue from the small orifice o p 7 j WVhen the apparatus is usedwith superheated steam the lubricant may be fed-into the steam pipe, in flushes instead of drop by drop inorder to minimize the vaporizing effect on the aqueous lubricant. To effect the feed in flushes in this way any convenlent device may be used, but oneform of apparatus is shown diagrammatically in Fig. l In this apparatus, which is placed between the pipe at and the steam pipe 1 achamber Z is provided connected with the pipe 'w,which leads into the steam pipe, by means of two passages y and 2. In operation the chamber Z always has lubricant therein up to the level shown and as. the drop by drop feed enters said chamber. the level rises until the whole of the chamber and the right hand part of thepassage z are filled. By reason of the restricted nature,

of the passages y and z the last. drop of lubricant will cause a sulficient rise in level to start a siphon action through the sage 2 which causes the lubricant to be discharged from the chamber Z until the level shown in Fig. 4 is again reached. The passage 3/ permits steam to flow into the chamber Z during the discharge of lubricant. The action is then repeated.

It will be understood that the invention is not confined to the sight feed herein shown and described and may be arranged and modified in various ways without departing from the invention.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A sight-feed for heavy lubricants, comprising in combination a sight-feed chamber, a liquid of low specific gravity in the chamber, an inlet at the upper portion of the chamber, and an outlet at the lower portion of the chamber.-

2. A sight-feed for heavy lubricants, comprising in combination a sight-feed chamber, a liquid of low specific gravity in the chamber, aninlet at the upper portion of the chamber, an outlet at the lower portion of the chamber, means for injecting the lubricant intosaid chamber, and means retainmg said liquid in said chamber while allowpasing the lubricant to pass through said outlet.

3. A sight-feed for heavy lubricants, comprising in combination a sight-feed cham her, a liquid of low specific gravity in the chamber, an inlet at the upper portion of the chamber, an outlet at the lower portion of the chamber, and an uptake communicating below with saidoutlet and normally filled with the lubricant.

4. A sight-feed for heavy lubricants, comprising in combination a sight-feed chamber, a liquid of low specific gravity in the chamber, an inlet at the upper portion of the chamber, an outlet at the lower portion of the chamber, an uptake communicating below with said outlet and normally filled with the lubricant, and means controlling the communication between said uptake and said outlet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERNEST WALTER JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM REID SHARP, CLEMENT LEAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

